Remembering the Dream
by shiki94
Summary: It's never easy to say goodbye to those that we've lost. It can be even harder when the one that we've lost has been such an important part of our lives. Join Cody Rhodes, Goldust, Alex Hardy, and Mary Williams as they try their best to stay strong in the face of losing the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. My own little two-shot tribute to Dusty Rhodes (RIP). Rated T for language.
1. Part 1

***deep breath in* *deep breath out* I'll admit it. This actually felt like one of the hardest things I've ever written. Not because it was difficut, but because of the subject matter. For those that probably haven't heard, WWE Legend and Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes passed away yesterday. Now, I honestly didn't know this for all that long. Wi-fi at my house was down, so imagine my reaction when I get it turned back on, I open my e-mail inbox, and I see the headlines on a wrestling newsletter I'm subscribed to that Dusty passed on. ...I'll save everyone the guessing and just say that I cried a little bit...thankfully I had one of my teddy bears nearby, but it still didn't help that my heart was hurting like crazy. ='( So, to help channel some of the sadness that my muses and I have been feeling after learning this unfortunate news, I'm going to write a two-shot on how Cody Rhodes, Goldust (although, this is Dustin...not Goldust), my OC Alex Hardy, and another OC that makes frequent appearances in my fics, Mary Williams have all been taking and handling the news. So, expect some character grief and sadness coming.**

 **Disclaimer: I own no one used in this story. They are the property of themselves and the WWE. I only own my OC Alex Hardy. Mary Williams is the property of foldintothenight and is being used with permission (not to mention the fact that she's been taking the news pretty hard too...both Mary and foldintothenight). Now that the note's out of the way, I hope you all enjoy this. (Caution: Have tissues on hand if needed.)**

It was still a huge shock to everyone that heard the news. At the prime age of 69 years old, WWE and wrestling Legend, NXT trainer, and Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes had passed away. The news had spread through the wrestling and sports worlds like wildfire and, to those that heard, it was some of the hardest news that they've had to stomach in recent memory. Just the fact one of the pro wrestling greats had so suddenly passed was such a shock to everyone. And, while everyone seemed to be taking and coping with the news in their own ways, the people that seemed to take the news the hardest were the members of the WWE and NXT rosters; and out of both of these sets of wrestlers, no one was taking it harder than his sons, Dustin, better known as Goldust, and Cody Rhodes, who was going through a bit of gimmick stasis in his new gimmick, Stardust, and two women on the WWE roster that were two of the closest people to them, Alex Hardy and Mary Williams. Among this quartet, emotions ranged from just trying to keep it together in Dustin and Cody's cases and just outright crying in the cases of Mary and Alex, Mary more than the younger Diva.

"I still can't believe this," Alex said, wiping at her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "It seems like it was just yesterday when Dusty and Dustin came to Cameron and Dusty held Izzy for the first time. And now…now he's…" Alex couldn't even finish her sentence before collapsed into another sobbing mess and she buried her head in her hands.

"No one can believe it, sweetheart," Cody said, rubbing his girlfriend's back before he pulled the younger woman into his arms as they sat on one of the couches in the living room of Alex's house. The news of his father's death was something that had rocked him to the core of his very being when he had first found out. The thing that made Cody feel the worst about it went back to when he and Dustin were in the middle of their short-lived Goldust vs Stardust feud. On the night of the episode of RAW when Dusty had been tapped to appear on the show, Stardust had to accept Dusty's words that he and Goldust get back to working together as a cohesive team, and he did…until their tag match against New Day where they lost and Stardust hit Dark Matter on Goldust after the match was over; the worst part of this segment came when Dusty tried to reason with the cosmic Superstar and Stardust all but snapped and hissed out "As far as I'm concerned, my father is dead!" Even though it was all just a part of what was scripted for that segment, it still hurt Cody deeply to say something like that to his own dad. And every time Cody had apologized to the elder member of the Rhodes family, Dusty's answer was always the same.

 _"Cody, you don't have to apologize for doing your job. If I was in your shoes, I'd probably do the same thing. After all, we have to make sure everything we do comes across as convincingly as possible to the fans."_

These had to be some of the most encouraging words Cody ever got from his dad; the most encouraging words came from when Cody had first told his dad that he and Alex were now the parents of a happy and healthy baby girl.

 _"I'm so proud of you, Cody. You're going to make a great dad and Alex is going to make a great mom. Now, you promise to me that you and Miss Alexis are going to take good care of that baby girl."_

Just the fact that his dad was so supportive of his and Alex having their first child-and the child being born out of wedlock, at that-had Cody feeling confident about taking his first real steps as a dad. Adding on when Dusty came with Dustin to North Carolina to meet Cody and Alex's daughter, Isabelle, and Cody was feeling as high on cloud nine as he had felt in a long time. So, getting the news about his father's unfortunate death had rocked Cody to the very core of his being.

Surprisingly, Dustin, the older of the two Rhodes men, had been taking the news fairly well; if not for his sake, it was for the sake of his wife Terri and their daughter Dakota. After all, _someone_ had to be the rock for everyone else that was grieving.

The person that seemed to be taking this the worst was Mary Williams. The brunette Diva had always looked up to Dusty as one of her main mentors as far as getting into the wrestling business went; it was all thanks to her and Cody's dads wrestling matches against each other often that she had met the American Dream when she was a kid, and after years of watching the older man in action, it helped sway Mary towards wanting to become a pro wrestler herself. Whenever Mary needed the advice of a wrestler outside of her dad, Dusty was always who the brunette Diva mainly went to when she needed advice on something. Dusty and Mary had become so close that she had affectionately let her own two kids, Marcus and Annaleigh, call Dusty "Grandpa". Because of Mary's closeness to the Rhodes family, she had often found herself siding with the Rhodes men when the time arose for the Rhodes family to go to war, in a sense; no call to arms being more rousing and needed than during the early stages of the Authority's rule over the WWE. It was one thing for Cody to get fired, and it was another entirely for Dustin to get fired; but when Dusty got dragged into the middle of it all when he tried to get his sons their jobs back and ended up taking a WMD from Big Show, that more than lit the flame in Mary to join her boys in their war against the corrupt campaign of the Authority. But, as it would turn out, Mary's help wasn't needed as Cody and Dustin were able to get their jobs back when they won their PayBack match against two members of the Shield in Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns; Dusty even intervened to keep the match fair when Dean Ambrose tried to interfere in the match by whipping the younger man back with his belt and, much to the surprise of everyone, delivering quite the impressive Bionic Elbow to the then United States Champion. That night had to be one of the best nights of Mary's life. So, when Dustin told Mary the news that Dusty had passed away, Mary didn't want to believe it; mostly because she had wanted to believe that Dusty was doing just fine, in spite of the elder Rhodes man not looking so great the past few weeks. But, after Dustin was finally able to talk Mary out of her constant denial, Mary collapsed in a broken heap of sobs and tears as the full force of one of her mentors passing away hit her and fully settled in her. She had Dustin and Cody and Alex there to help ease her through it all, but it just didn't help things that it just all hurt so much.

Rubbing Mary's back as he did his best to console the woman he had mentored while she sobbed, Dustin looked around the room at the other three and saw that the full force acknowledgement of his and Cody's dad's passing had affected mostly everyone in the usual ways with he and Cody surprisingly being the ones to be Alex and Mary's rocks through it all. His hand still running up and down Mary's back as he shared a look with his younger brother, Dustin finally sighed and said "OK. Mary, Alex…I think this is enough."

"Enough?" Alex asked around a hiccup of a sob. "What do you mean, Dustin?"

"I mean, all of this mourning you and Mare are doing, Alex," Dustin said, trying to be firm. Seeing Mary look up and over at him, Dustin said "Look. I know this is really hard for you guys to process, but we…we have to be strong here. Everyone's going to be looking to us come Monday to be strong when they have the memorial stuff for dad on RAW. And, I feel that we at least owe it to them to try to be strong. Even if you and Mary break down during the show, that'll be OK. It'll just mean that this has been particularly hard on us to really tough through."

Still rubbing Alex's back, Cody said "Mare, Alex. Dustin's right. This news has been…it's been really hard for all of us to really process, but…we have to be strong. If not for our sakes, then for the sakes of Terri and Dakota and everyone on the rosters. They're going to need strong people in the wake of this, so…it has to be us."

Wiping her eyes as she sniffled, Alex said "I guess you both are right. I just…I just don't think I'll even make it through the eulogy stuff for Dusty Monday."

Smiling a comforting smile over at his younger brother's girlfriend, Dustin rested a hand on Alex's shoulder as he said "That's why you and Mary are going to have me and Cody there. After all, _someone's_ going to have to be there for you two during RAW."

Smiling a bit, Alex said "Thanks, Dustin" before she hugged Dustin.

Seeing and hearing that Dustin had pretty much promised to have her and Alex's backs during RAW Monday had Mary feeling a bit better. While she had yet to really get all of the crying out of her system over losing one of her nearest and dearest friends, mentors, and father figures, Mary just knew that she had to at least _try_ to be strong for those on the rosters come the memorial-like tributes the WWE tended to have for wrestlers that worked for the company. _'Besides. It's not like Dusty would want me whining and crying like a baby during a time when I_ have _to be strong for everyone,'_ Mary thought. Wiping her face, Mary finally piped up and said "OK, Dustin."

Looking over at his former student, Dustin asked "Are you sure you're going to be up for all of this stuff come Monday?"

"To be totally honest, Dustin, no. I don't think I _will_ , nor will I ever, be truly ready to face the reality of saying goodbye to Dusty. But…I know that he wouldn't want me to just mope and cry about this forever," Mary said. A smirk that she was known for having crossing her face, Mary then added "Besides, if Cody breaks down, someone's going to have to help you deal with both him and Alex."

"Oh, very funny, Mare," Alex said, reaching past Dustin to hit Mary on the shoulder as she laughed at what Mary said.

As Mary and Alex shared laughs and they began to talk about what they were going to have to brace for come Monday, Dustin and Cody shared a look as smiles crossed the face of both Rhodes men. Yes, they just knew that this coming episode of RAW was going to quite possibly be one of the hardest episodes they would ever have to go through, but just from reassuring the two women with them, they just _knew_ that they had to be strong; if not for Alex, Mary, the WWE rosters, and everyone watching, they had to do it for themselves to show their dad the lasting effects he had on them.

 **This really does feel like one of the hardest things I've ever written. But, it's helping me with my grieving through the loss of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, who is one of my all-time fave wrestlers...so I feel it's working. This has all felt like a very tough pill to swallow down, but I'm coping through as best I can. And, like the girls, I too am not feeling all that ready for RAW come Monday. Mostly because I just know that when they do the memorial type stuff for Dusty, I'm going to lose it and cry like a baby...thus alarming my family members about what's wrong with me. ...I'm rambling a bit here. Sorry... Anyway! Stay tuned for part 2 of this as we see how Cody, Dustin, Mary, and Alex hold up when RAW comes and they're with the roster. Don't forget to R &R please. =)**


	2. Part 2

**And now, after some delay on my part, here's the next, and final, part of Remembering The Dream. I hope you guys enjoy it. =)**

 **(Also, I know I said this last chapter, but...Caution: Have tissues on hand, if needed.)**

Monday finally came. And with it came possibly one of the hardest things that the WWE roster would go through this year: the ten bell salute and tribute video packages on that week's episode of RAW for Dusty. While the trip to Cleveland, Ohio had been a relatively calm one, it wasn't until the Rhodes brothers, Alex, and Mary had gotten to the arena that the girls really started to feel doubtful about being able to keep it together once all of the stuff that was planned for Dusty began.

"Guys, I…I don't think I'll be able to make it through everything," Alex said, pulling at one of the bracelets on her left wrist from where she was sitting on top of one of the crates backstage. "I know Cody and Dustin said it'd be okay to cry, but I just don't know how to deal with everything."

"Just let your emotions come naturally," Dustin said, trying to reassure his brother's girlfriend. "That's all that we could really want in this situation."

"Good to know," Mary said, looking over to Dustin from where she was sitting beside Alex. "Because I'm not going to be shy at all about letting _my_ emotions come naturally."

Smiling over to his former student, Dustin said "That's all we're asking, Mary."

While his older brother talked with Mary and Alex, Cody stood in thought over what Dustin just said. Sure, he had been telling himself that he would be strong during the tribute the WWE was doing for his father, but he hadn't really thought about how it would affect him; _if_ it would affect him, at that. After all, the last time he really cried over anything was when the WWE had the ten bell salute and tribute video packages for the Ultimate Warrior last year. And, while that was a pretty sad event in itself, this was a lot more personal to him as it was the loss of _his own father_ ; the man who raised him, the man who helped train him and get his legs into the world of professional wrestling, the man who he was honored to induct into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007, and the man who had given him some valuable advice on being the best possible father he could be for his daughter. These were all really strong memories that had Cody feeling his own measure of sadness, but he had yet to really express it to anyone. It wasn't until he heard Dustin say "Come on, Cody. It's time" and he saw the members of the WWE roster heading for the gorilla position and the stage that Cody knew now was the moment of truth. Nodding his head as he got his thoughts back in order, Cody said "Right" as he grabbed hold of Alex's hand.

Walking alongside her boyfriend, Dustin, and Mary, Alex bit one of her lip rings and, in a bit of a small voice, said "You know, Cody. It's…okay if you cry. No one's gonna think any less of you, so…just don't think you have to keep everything bottled up inside."

Hearing this come from his girlfriend, Cody knew Alex was right; the only problem he seemed to be facing was the fact that he wasn't exactly sure _how_ he'd really hold it together during the ten bell salute and the other tribute segments for his dad. But, what he did know was this: If he _did_ cry, he knew he had his brother, his girlfriend, and one of the people that he considered another sister with him to be his anchors.

Reaching the gorilla position, the group of four was allowed through the crowd of Superstars and Divas, many of whom were surprised to see Cody and Dustin instead of their respective in-ring counterparts, Stardust and Goldust. As the group made their way to the front of the crowd, the roster gave Cody and Dustin their own "I'm sorry for your loss", which was already starting to make the younger of the two Rhodes men feel moved that so many people were affected by the death of his father. Biting his lip, he tightened his grip a bit on Alex's hand as the quartet finally reached the front of the crowd; and once the crowd saw the Rhodes men, they erupted in a chant of "Rhodes Dynasty". Casting a quick look behind him, Cody could see that some of the roster was already in tears over what was to come next; even when he cast a quick look out at the crowd, Cody could see fans with tears rolling down their faces and many signs for his dad ranging from "Thank You Dusty" to "RIP Dusty Rhodes" to "Dusty Rhodes: A Real Man's Man" to, signs that he considered his personal favorite, "Dusty Rhodes: The True American Dream". Just seeing this outflowing of support from his co-workers and the fans of the WWE had Cody immensely happy to see that his dad had such an influence on people and had so much love from both wrestlers and fans alike. Hearing sniffling on both sides of him, Cody didn't even have to look to know that Alex and Mary were already starting to well up with tears that were going to flow out of them; and, after seeing all of this, he didn't blame them for wanting to cry at all of the love people had been giving his family over the past few days.

Seeing that the whole roster, along with owner of the WWE, Vince McMahon, was now gathered on the stage, Lillian got the signal to begin the proceedings. Standing from the chair she was sitting in, Lillian said "Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please. Let us now acknowledge a moment of silence for Dusty Rhodes as we ring the bell ten times." Once Lillian was done, the timekeeper began to toll the bell ten times, each toll spaced out. As the timekeeper rang the bell, the camera panned around the arena to show that several roster members were now crying while many tried to be strong through the ten bell salute, and the fans in attendance were showing a varied range of emotions from silent and respectful to teary-eyed to full-on crying in the case of a good number of the fans.

Hearing the outpouring of emotions from the fans, his co-workers, and bosses had Cody feeling pretty emotional. Casting a look over to Dustin, Cody could see that his older brother was doing pretty well to keep his cool as he looked around at what was happening in the arena and held Mary close to him as the brunette woman had her face buried in Dustin's chest as she could be heard sobbing. Looking back over to his left, Cody saw that Alex was sobbing a bit as she wiped at the tears that kept rolling down her face. Seeing and feeling the range of emotions in the arena had Cody thinking back to what Alex had told him before they made it out to the stage. _"You know, Cody. It's…okay if you cry. No one's gonna think any less of you, so…just don't think you have to keep everything bottled up inside."_ Just the fact that his girlfriend could see right through and see that he was trying so hard to be strong in the wake of the loss of his father, one of his greatest teachers and biggest influences, had Cody feeling that showing how he was really feeling wouldn't be such a bad thing. So, at around the sixth toll of the bell, Cody hung his head a bit as the tears that he'd been trying so hard to hold in finally escaped and began to roll down his face.

Dustin had been the most emotionally strong one between he, his brother, Alex, and Mary; mostly because he felt it was his job to stay strong for the other three, along with his wife, daughter, and the rest of his family. So, when he heard another sniffling coming from his left at around the eighth toll of the bell, he didn't have to look to know that it was Cody. Resting his free hand on Cody's right shoulder, Dustin let this be his way of saying "It's okay, little brother. Don't hold it in any longer. Just let it all out." And this touch seemed to be just the thing to help Cody towards really letting everything he had been feeling over the past few days out. By the time the bell had been rung for the tenth time and the crowd and roster were applauding and chanting "Thank you, Dusty", Dustin had tears of his own that finally rolled down his face as he held a now loudly sobbing Mary close to him, still had his hand on Cody's shoulder as Cody held his head up and wiped at the tear streaks on his face, and looked over to see that Alex was leaning into Cody's hold, as he had thrown an arm around her shoulders, as she kept wiping her face.

Once the bell had been rung for the tenth and final time, Lillian wiped her face and, clearing her throat around the sob that was threatening to escape her, said "Now, at this time, we would like everyone to turn their attention to the Titantron as we will now play a tribute video for Dusty."

Heads turned to look up at the Titantron as a graphic for Dusty that had his picture along with his birth year and the year 2015 was shown before transitioning to a video package that played as Dusty's entrance theme "Common Man" began to play throughout the arena. As everyone watched the video package that was playing, many of the people in the arena, fans and roster members alike, began to clap and nod their heads in tune to the beat of "Common Man"; even Vince could be seen tapping his foot to the beat of the music.

Once the quartet of Dustin, Cody, Mary, and Alex were able to get their emotions in check enough, they joined in with the celebration that was going through the arena. Even though now felt like it should've been more of a time for mourning, the four knew that it was really a celebration of the life and legacy of Dusty Rhodes, one of the greatest wrestlers and men to ever walk the face of the planet. And, right now, in a sea of love and support from fellow wrestlers and fans, the four felt that Dusty's memory was being celebrated in the best way possible: His memory was being celebrated with people whose lives and careers he helped shape, along with many of the people that he served as an inspiration to.

 **And now, I must say that Remembering The Dream is finished. This has been a great thing for me to write as it's helped me cope with Dusty's passing and it's also helped my muses too as most of them have been taking the news pretty hard. Funny story about this = I was working on this last night before I got close to halfway through it and I stopped. Just what I was typing was starting to make me tear up as I was working, so I was finally able to finish it today with the help of my muses. I hope you guys have all enjoyed reading this and I just want to say Thanks for giving this a read. Don't forget to R &R for the last time on this, please. =)**

 **(Question: I got hit with an idea when I was almost done with this to actually have an epilogue of sorts to go with this that would basically be a time jump to a year later and it would focus on the same four main characters in this, along with Alex and Cody's daughter Isabelle, and Mary's husband Ted Dibiase Jr. and her son Marcus all visiting Dusty's grave to relay what'd been going on with them over the course of the year. Would you guys want to read this epilogue if I type it? Feel free to either answer this question in your review or PM me your answer. I await you guys' opinions. =) )**


	3. Epilogue

***whistles* Man, I did _not_ intend on being so late with getting the epilogue for this finished. I've been busy helping another writer here beta read his stuff, so that took up a huge chunk of my writing focus. But, I have prevailed in getting the epilogue finished, so here it is for your reading pleasure. I hope you guys enjoy. =)**

 **(Caution: Have tissues on hand, because you might need them with this chapter. Also, if any of you guys get irked at the parts where Isabelle talks, I deeply apologize. Since in this Isabelle would be 1, I wanted her dialogue to feel as much like a 1 year old toddler's as it could be...that's why it seems so broken and choppy in places.)**

 **One Year Later**

"Mommy, daddy. Whe' we goin'?" the curly-haired infant asked from her car seat.

Turning in her seat beside the infant in the back of the car they were riding in, Alex said "We're going to visit your grandpa today, Izzy."

"Isn' gwan'pa at home wit' Unca Matt an' Unca Jeff?" Isabelle asked.

"Yes, but this is your grandpa that's daddy's dad," Alex said, explaining to the infant in terms she could understand.

"Oh. You mean like how Ma'cus and Annie have two gwan'pas?" Isabelle asked.

"Yep," Alex said, smiling over at her daughter. "And we decided that since you're old enough, you can come visit your other grandpa."

"OK. I'll be good fo' him," Isabelle said, her head lolling back slightly.

Smiling at the talk that was going on in the backseat of the car, Cody kept driving down the road as another car followed behind him. It had been one whole year since the death of his father and it was definitely a bit of a rocky time for him, Dustin, their family, Mary, and Alex. As time went on through the year, everyone had come to accept Dusty's death and, rather than be miserable about it for a prolonged period, the group felt it'd be best to do their grieving and then move on. Sure, the loss of Dusty hurt them all, but it was something that they felt grieving over wouldn't help the situation; and with the support and consolation of everyone around them, the quartet was able to move on from their grief-riddled states and move forward in their lives.

"Not too much further now," Dustin said from the passenger's seat of the car Cody, Alex, and Isabelle were all riding in.

"Nope," Cody said. While navigating the Florida roads to the cemetery where his father was buried seemed all but ingrained into his memory, it was still something that always gave Cody the chills when he drove through. "Not much further now."

A few more minutes of driving were passed in near silence until both cars reached the church and cemetery where Dusty's funeral was held and where his body was buried. Pulling into the parking lot next to the church, both cars parked and the passengers in both spilled out as they looked around their surroundings.

"Man. Even though I know we've come to visit here a few times over the past year, it just amazes me how it seems like places like this never really change," Mary said, looking around as she helped get Annaleigh out of the car.

"Guess that's just the beauty of graveyards and churches, Mare," Ted Dibiase Jr. said as he came around the side of the car, holding Marcus's hand. "Timeless things just never seem to change."

"Kinda like us. Huh, Teddy bear?" Mary asked, grinning over at her husband as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Ugh. Get a room, you two," Alex jokingly said as she closed the car door with Dustin following behind her. "Need I remind you both that there are three young children with us?"

"Oh hush, Alex. Me and Ted know. Besides, we're keeping it G for the kids," Mary said, playfully sticking her tongue out at the younger woman.

"Well, good. We wouldn't want any of these three to pick up bad habits from you," Cody said jokingly as he balanced Isabelle in his arms.

The talking among the five adults went on for a few minutes more before Dustin suggested that they all head to Dusty's grave so that they could have their time there before it got too late. Walking away from the parking lot, the group headed out to the cemetery where they made their way through the rows of tombstones. The group had actually traversed this area so many times that they pretty much knew the way by heart. It had only been about a five or so minute walk before they reached the tombstone that said Virgil "Dusty Rhodes" Runnels.

Standing in front of the tombstone, Ted looked over to Cody and said "I'm not sure if I've ever said this, but you did good eulogizing him, Codes."

"Thanks, man," Cody said, looking over to Ted before he looked back down at his father's tombstone. It was still something that touched him when he thought back to it. He was initially worried that the eulogy he would deliver wouldn't be fitting enough for his father, but this proven wrong when everyone told him that his eulogy was something that did Dusty proud. Cody couldn't help but smile at the memory because it was something that he felt proud of doing for his dad. Tugging on the collar of his shirt brought Cody out of his reverie as he looked at Isabelle. "What is it, darlin'?"

"Daddy, you cwyin'," Isabelle said, her forehead crinkled a bit as she looked at her father.

Wiping his eyes as he let out a somewhat shaky laugh, Cody said "Yeah, I guess I am."

"You OK, Daddy?" Isabelle asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about grandpa," Cody said, letting Isabelle know who he was talking about.

"Oh. Why you cwy when you think abou' gwan'pa?" Isabelle asked.

"He was…he was really helpful to me when he was here," Cody said, memories of him and his dad starting to flood his thoughts. "He helped me learn to do a lot of things. And, he even came to visit you when you were smaller."

"He did?" Isabelle asked. Seeing her father nod his head, Isabelle asked "Did he like me?"

Hearing this, Dustin piped up and, ruffling Isabelle's hair, said "Of course he liked you, kiddo. I'd go so far as to say that he absolutely loved you."

"He did?" Isabelle asked again. Seeing both her father and one of her uncles nodding their heads, Isabelle said "Wow."

Hearing Cody and Dustin bring up Dusty having met Isabelle, Mary looked down to Annaleigh and said "Grandpa Dusty thought the same thing about you too, sweetheart."

"Did he meet me when I was little, too?" Annaleigh asked, looking up at her mother.

"Yep. He loved you just as much as he loved Izzy when she was smaller," Ted said, remembering when Cody had told him about how Dusty meeting Isabelle went and when Dusty had come to visit Annaleigh.

"Wow," Annaleigh said, the same amount of surprise in her voice that was in Isabelle's.

Smiling at Annaleigh saying that, Mary then felt tugging on the hem of her shirt. Looking down at Marcus, Mary asked "What is it, bud?"

"It's nothing, mama. I was just making sure you were OK," Marcus said, looking up at his mother.

Her smile still in place, Mary said "I'm fine, baby. No need to worry about me."

"OK," Marcus said before looking back to Dusty's tombstone.

The group of eight stood and talked for a few more minutes before doing what they would normally do when they came to visit Dusty.

"So, Dusty. I think it's about time we let you know what's been going on with us," Mary said as she readjusted Annaleigh on her hip. "I'll start this time. I'm getting a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Hopefully, I can get it away from Miz and put on a good match as I win it."

"I'll go next," Alex said. "Um, nothing all that new is really happening with me. Well, actually, that's not true. Bayley got her main roster call-up a few months ago, and we've been teaming up together a lot. So, that's been pretty cool and a lot of fun. I just hope that the Powers That Be don't do anything to wreck our roll."

"And if they do, I'll personally go to Connecticut myself to ask what's their deal," Mary cut in, causing the others to laugh at her.

"Guess we're next, Cody," Dustin said. Taking the initiative to go first, Dustin said "My shoulder's all healed up after surgery and everything after that. And, believe it or not, me and Cody actually got to continue our Goldust vs Stardust feud. We had to restart it, but that was fine with me. I just wanted to see it through after Creative cut it so short in the first place. We're coming up on our match at PayBack, so that's something big for us."

As Dustin continued, Cody was trying to sort through what he was going to say. He wanted to let his dad know that things were going well for him too, but he just didn't know what to say. So, when Dustin was finished, Cody felt his older brother nudge him in the side and he took that as a sign that he should at least say something. Taking a breath, Cody said "Guess it's my turn now. So, like Dustin, me and him have been able to go back to our Goldust vs Stardust feud. And, so far, it's felt like one of the best feuds I've ever had. Sure, it's not Cody vs Goldust like so many people may have wanted, but people are eating it up all the same. I wish you could be here to see us, dad."

Hearing her boyfriend say this and looking over to see a few tears rolling down Cody's face, Alex rested one of her hands on Cody's forearm and said "Wherever he's watching us from, he's proud of you and Dustin, babe. I just know he is."

Looking over to his girlfriend, Cody said "I know" as his voice cracked a tiny bit.

Looking up at her father's face, Isabelle said "It OK, Daddy. Don' cwy."

Laughing a bit at what his daughter said, Cody wiped his face and said "I'm fine, darlin'. Thinking about grandpa just…makes me a bit teary-eyed."

"Di' gwan'pa lo' you and Unca Dustin a lot?" Isabelle asked.

"Yeah. He did. He was one of our biggest supporters and he taught us a lot," Cody said, smiling at memories of things he and Dustin would do with their dad together.

"Oh. Can I give gwan'pa a hug?" Isabelle asked.

Hearing his daughter ask him this had caused even more tears to roll down Cody's face. He and Alex had did their best to tell Isabelle about Dusty passing away in a way that she'd understand; so, hearing her say that she wanted to give her grandpa a hug was something that touched Cody very deeply. Biting down on his lip to hold back the sob that was threatening to escape him, Cody carefully set Isabelle on the ground.

As soon as her little feet hit the ground, Isabelle toddled her way over to Dusty's tombstone. Once she reached the tombstone, Isabelle hugged it to the best of her ability and, laying her head against the tombstone, said "I lo' you, gwan'pa."

This display was enough to draw tears out of the other four adults, along with more from Cody; this being because, while Isabelle didn't have the chance to meet Dusty herself, she still loved him like she had a love for him that was similar to the love they had for Dusty. And that was something that proved to be pretty moving for the five adults to see.

Pulling on the hem of his mother's shirt, Marcus asked "Mama, can me and Annaleigh give Grandpa Dusty's stone a hug too?" once he had his mother's attention.

"Sure, bud," Mary said, wiping her face. Setting Annaleigh on the ground, Mary watched as Marcus took hold of his sister's hand and walked with her over to Dusty's tombstone. Once the two reached the tombstone and did the same thing Isabelle did, Mary had become all but completely undone at the seams emotionally and smiled at the sight of her kids and her goddaughter giving the man they so affectionately called "grandpa" hugs.

The adults had decided to let the kids keep their holds on Dusty's tombstone for another minute or so before Dustin checked the time on his phone and, wiping his face and clearing his throat, said "I think we should be getting ready to leave for today, guys."

Wiping her face, Alex said "OK, Dustin." Looking ahead, Alex said "Come on, Izzy. We have to leave for today."

"OK, mommy," Isabelle said. Turning her gaze back to the tombstone, Isabelle gave the smooth stone a quick peck and said "Bye bye, gwan'pa. See you latew" before toddling back over to and getting picked up by her mother.

Marcus and Annaleigh did the same thing before walking back over to their parents. Once the adults saw that the kids were ready to leave, everyone turned to leave with Cody and Dustin being the last to fall into step with the others. While it still hurt them pretty deeply that their father had passed away a year ago, they had moments like this that showed that their dad left more of an impact on the world around them than most people would ever realize; and just this impact alone was enough to fill both Rhodes men with an immense amount of pride and happiness as they could share his memory with the people closest to them. And that…that was good enough for both men.

 _'Rest easy, dad. The legacy of the American Dream lives on and is stronger than ever,'_ both men similarly thought.

 **And with this installation, I can now say that Remembering The Dream has reached its end. I would like to take a moment and say a huge thank you to everyone that took the time to read, favorite, and follow this story. I'm glad that everyone that gave this a read enjoyed it so much. Thanks again, and I'll see you guys later. And, for the last time, don't forget to R &R please. =)**


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